The present invention relates to interconnections and, more specifically, to interconnect transition apparatuses.
In the implementation of a transition, a first part often includes a circuit board and a second part often includes another circuit board. The first and second parts are generally displaced from one another at a given distance, and thus it is frequently necessary to provide for “vertical” transitions between the board of the first part and the board(s) of the second part. Such vertical transitions should be small to provide for miniaturized spacings and low costs given the potential for large number of transitions per assembly.
Currently, vertical transitions for electronic assemblies are commonly designed with connectors and bullets disposed between circuit boards and remainders of corresponding circuits. This generally requires at least two connectors and a bullet per transition, which typically becomes a significant portion of the cost of the system. However, as circuit spacing shrinks or density increases, connector and bullet fittings tend to limit miniaturization due to their large physical sizes.
In some cases, it is actually not possible to fit two connectors and a bullet in an available space for a given design. Such situations then require machined assemblies using pogo pins, fuzz buttons or coaxial feed structures be employed in the transition. However, since these components lead to increased fabrication and assembly costs and are not easy to automatically assembly, they can result in much more expensive systems.